No, I do not consider myself a housewife. No one who visited our house and saw how we live would consider me a housewife. (Somehow I think an Extreme Housewife wouldn’t have such a dirty kitchen floor. Actually, I think of myself as an advanced species of slacker.)

In her book, Shannon Hayes called Erik and I “Radical Homemakers” and though it has a similar ring to “Extreme Housewife,” the shades of difference in meaning are critical, and I’m altogether more comfortable with Hayes’ term. For anyone curious about the difference, I’d point you to that book.

Erik and I make a home together as a team, pursuing our various DIY interests, living on little money so we can live more freely. What does that make me? I guess people define it differently.

But describing me as a”housewife” seems to have fit the editorial/marketing goals of Ladies Home Journal. But it was nice of them to interview us, and if I said anything that might inspire someone to start a garden or whatever, that’s fantastic. As **** says, it is going to be interesting to see what happens as this urban homesteading stuff hits the mainstream.

Meanwhile Erik is laughing his ass off at the idea of me being described as a housewife, and is going to find himself clobbered pretty soon. Besides, it’s time he started dinner.

I think homesteading is going mainstream, although I don’t agree with some people that it’s the latest thing, or a fad. I think that people are figuring out that it’s all made in China anyway, or Monsanto had a hand in it, or some asshole somewhere who thinks that lawsuits for making people sick with his peanut products or contaminated eggs is just the price of doing business, and folks are getting fed up. We’re swinging back to the way things used to be because we’re figuring out that the way we’ve been putting food on the table for sixty years now really isn’t sustainable or humane. I also think this recession has a little bit to do with it, but I don’t think things will go back to normal once it’s over, because the cost of transporting food is going to go up. Grow a garden, make compost, feed yourself. Part of my impetus for wanting to learn how to homestead (I mean apart from global warming and the end of cheap oil) was the lesson learned at the hands of Katrina- if there’s one lesson to take away from that disaster it’s that your government won’t take care you. Learn to do it yourself.

Wow, what timing. My husband (the historian) and I were just talking about how I should rename my blog, which is called “Deep Domesticity”. He says the latter word has pejorative overtones, like “housewife.” I was just trying to riff off of McKibben’s “Deep Economy”. I consider myself a radical homemaker, too; it’s a great book. So, what’s in a name?

Yeah, I second Teresa. I go to the MJT almost every time I’m in LA. It was actually the first place I stopped on my very first solo road trip when I was 19 (and needed a giant paper map to find). Kudos for the obvious stuff too, but the Museum just has a special place in my heart.

Congratulations on your new fan base.I personally enjoy being called a homemaker/housewife. Without my homemaking skills I know our family wouldn’t be as content.After all it’s about enjoying your bliss ?

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Root Simple is about back to basics, DIY living, encompassing homegrown vegetables, chickens, herbs, hooch, bicycles, cultural alchemy, and common sense. We’re always learning, figuring stuff out, taking advantage of the enormous smarts of our friends and our on-line community, and trying to give some of that back in turn. Root Simple is a gathering place for everyone. Welcome.